Specific Issues for Discussion
Internet carbon can only be increasing, thus cannot be ignored.
Building on 3 years efforts of initiating and developing EcoInternet Index, the research on how various factors (i.e. Energy, Efficiency and Economy) affects the Internet-environment relationship continues and the new phase of this project has been extended to 15 and will extend more jurisdictions across Asia Pacific including some least developed countries. Based on the studies and discussions with subject-matter experts, the approach to evaluate the environmental impact related to the digital explosion is more complicated than simply identifying the carbon footprint of the Internet or a specific online activity for direct comparisons among jurisdictions, which can be misleading and debatable in many ways. Measuring the definitive amount of the Internet’s carbon footprint, as it naturally increases along with increasing usage, may not depict the real situation of its eco-friendliness, but instead, looking at how the accelerating growth of the Internet significantly replaces some traditional activities or industries which are way more carbon-heavy, can provide meaningful outcomes for policy directives and decisions.
That said, it is foreseeable that the Internet usage will continue to surge, and therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the sustainability of the Internet network and infrastructure are included or even highlighted in the consideration and decision of any climate agenda and action plan.
The following policy questions will be covered:
Why do we need an EcoInternet to achieve a resilient Internet?
What are the policy recommendations to achieve an EcoInternet?
What are the key factors and challenges to effective collaboration between government and industry in policymaking and implementation to monitor and reduce the environmental impact caused by booming digitalisation?
What are the main reasons for the Asia Pacific region lagging behind in “greening” the Internet?
